Hundreds of newly recruited local government workers in Cross River State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Calabar over 11 months of unpaid salaries, calling on Governor Bassey Otu to approve their enrolment on the state payroll.
Defying a heavy downpour, the workers, drawn from several local government areas, marched through major streets of the state capital to the Governor’s Office, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We are suffering,” “Payroll us,” and “We need our salaries.”
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, their leader, Uchi Julius, said many of the workers recruited in 2025 had been performing their duties for nearly a year without receiving salaries.
He lamented that the prolonged delay had plunged many of the affected workers into severe hardship, alleging that some had died while participating in the verification exercise initiated by the state government.
“We are hungry. We are dying. We have lost more than six colleagues. They can never return,” Julius said.
He added: “One of the government’s campaign promises was massive employment. Today, the 2,000 health workers said to have been employed are here, yet many of us have not been paid. We are not begging for money; we are demanding payment for work we have already done.”
One of the protesters, Happiness Augustine, told Nigerian Tribune that despite being employed in 2025, she had yet to receive any salary after almost a year in service.
“I was employed in 2025, and up till now I have not been paid. It is almost one year in my office without receiving a salary. We are appealing to Governor Bassey Otu to have mercy on us and ensure we are paid because we have remained diligent in our duties,” she said.
Augustine said the delay had left many workers in financial distress, urging the governor to intervene regardless of any administrative bottlenecks affecting the payroll process.
“We have families to take care of, yet we have continued working without salaries. We are pleading with the governor to come to our aid,” she said.
She also alleged that one of the affected workers died in a road accident while travelling for the verification exercise set up by the government following an earlier protest.
“We protested before and a panel was set up. During the screening process, one of our colleagues had an accident on his way and died. We are still waiting for the government to act,” she added.
Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh, acknowledged their grievances and assured them that the government was concluding the process required to resolve the issue.
According to him, the panel of inquiry constituted after the workers’ earlier protest had submitted its report, while a white paper outlining the government’s next course of action had already been prepared.
“When you came here last time, I conveyed your concerns to the governor, who immediately constituted a panel of inquiry. The panel has submitted its report, and we are now at the implementation stage,” Enoh said.
He appealed to the workers to remain calm, assuring them that the government would address their concerns within the next two weeks.
“I assure you that within two weeks, all of you will smile. If you have waited for almost a year, two more weeks is not too long. Before you return here again, you will see what the government is going to do in your favour,” the SSG said.